Portraits
by Frog1
Summary: The only thing the Green Hornet wanted to do before he left Gotham, was to tour a specific exhibit at the Gotham Art Museum...pity, he had some unexpected company on his tour.


_Okay, I'm still stuck on the next chapter of "Bats, Foxes, and a Hornet"…so I'm going to do this one shot (maybe more) to get my brain going! This doesn't take place in the "Bats, Foxes, and a Hornet" universe, but it does take place during the Batman/Green Hornet crossover in the 60's Batman TV series. Once again, I own nothing!_

* * *

_Night in Gotham City…and unfortunately, two out of town visitors have yet to go home!_

* * *

"Boss, are you certain you want to go thru with this?" asked Kato, "We may, once again, run into Batman and Robin."

The Green Hornet was silent for a moment, finally he quietly responded, "Kato, this may be my one chance to see it..."

"Couldn't you go as Britt Reid?" interrupted Kato.

With a shake of his head, he answered, "No, even today…there can be no link between him and Britt Reid."

Kato sighed resignedly as he parked the Black Beauty in front of Gotham Art Museum, "Here we are, boss."

The Green Hornet took a deep breath in order to prepare himself, finally he ordered, "Stay here, and keep an eye out for trouble; I'll be right back."

* * *

_At the same time…Batman and Robin, whom spotted them earlier, were silently following them in the Batmobile…_

* * *

Robin frowned as he watched the Green Hornet exit the Black Beauty and hurriedly entered the Gotham Art Museum, he asked, "What do you think he's doing?"

"I don't know," muttered Batman thoughtfully, he was silent for a moment, finally he said, "Stay here, Robin…I'm going to see what he is up too."

* * *

_A moment later…_

* * *

Batman silently followed him into the dark museum, he thought he could sneak up behind him in order to capture him; when suddenly, the Green Hornet stopped and turned around to confront Gotham's Knight, "What do you want Batman?"

"The question is Mr. Hornet what are you doing here?" he softly asked, "I thought you and your assistant would have left Gotham by now."

The Green Hornet gave him a half-smirk as he pointed at the exhibit's sign and sarcastically replied, "I wanted to take a quick look at this display before it went back to Houston."

"And you couldn't wait until the museum was open?" he asked equally sarcastic.

Even with his face underneath a mask, Batman could see his foe's sadness, "No," he answered softly, and then he gave him a furious glare, "And before you ask, I couldn't go in my civilian identity either to see it!"

Raising a brow beneath his mask, he told him in a mixture of curiosity and weary acceptance, "Very well, Mr. Hornet, I'll go with you to tour this one exhibit; but as soon as we are done…I want you and your accomplice out of Gotham City!"

"Thank you, so much for your permission to see it," grumbled the Green Hornet as he and Batman strode into 'Heroes of the Wild West' exhibit.

* * *

Batman remained quiet and merely watched his foe as he studied each painting; with every stop they made on their unauthorized tour, the Hornet would make a unique comment. 'Cursory, and cursory,' thought the Dark Knight, 'where did the Green Hornet gained so much knowledge on the wild west? Some of the things he said, even I didn't know!'

As they stopped in front of painting of General Custer, the Green Hornet rolled his eyes in disgust as he growled out, "Egoistically manic!"

Batman looked at him in disbelief, "He was trying to protect the settlers…"

"Bullshit!" cursed out the Green Hornet, "He was trying to gain more glory in order to run for Congress, may be even President!" He pointed at the portrait in fury, "And if he could trample on the Native's rights to the land, it would have been icing on the cake as far as he was concern!"

Batman was about to argue the point, but decided to ask instead, "How do you know so much about the wild west?"

The Green Hornet looked away from him for a moment, finally he turned his attention back to him and replied, "The west is still wild in some ways, and some of the villains of that time maybe reborn in some form at anytime…and when that happens the heroes of that era need to be reborn too."

Batman frown at him in displeasure and sternly told him, "That doesn't answer my question, in fact…I would expect an answer like that from the Riddler!"

"Tough," he said as he moved on to the next portrait, "That's the only answer you're going to get!"

"Infuriating man," grumbled Batman underneath his breath as he hurried to catch up to him, he found him studying a small charcoal drawing of Zorro and the Black Whip. He looked over at his foe, "I suppose you think these two noble men are egotistically?"

The Green Hornet's mouth twitch as he answered, "The Nineteenth Zorro and Eighteenth Black Whip were a bit egotistically as well as noble…they were as they're descendents are today...sneaky, tricky, pranksters!"

"They are not pranksters," he protested, "They weren't then, and their successors are not today!"

The Green Hornet laughed out loud in amusement and said, "Oh, yes they are…the entire clan is full of pranksters and tricksters! In fact, the true reason Chicago caught on fire was a prank war between those two," he pointed at the painting, "and the Ghost Who Walks! It finally stopped when…" He caught himself before he could say something that he would regret later.

"When?" prompted Batman in curiosity.

"Nothing," he quickly replied as he gestured with his hand, "Let's go…this next one is the last painting and then I'll be out of your cowl…I mean city."

Batman gave him a glare as he asked in curiosity, "How do you know they as well as the legendary Phantom burned Chicago? There is no proof!"

The Green Hornet shot him a mischievous look as he replied, "Read it in a book." He turned his attention to the last portrait, and let out a heartbreaking sigh.

Batman frowned at him and turned his attention to the portrait, it was similar to charcoal drawing of Zorro and the Black Whip, however this one was done in watercolors. He studied the masked man riding a brilliant white horse alongside a Native American with a Pinto horse. His frown deepens as he wondered out loud, "What is a portrait of an outlaw and his Indian companion doing in exhibit on Heroes of the Wild West?"

The Green Hornet choked down the fury and grief that rose in his chest at Batman's tactless question; as calmly as he could, he replied, "He wasn't an outlaw, that…you pointed eared dunce…is a portrait of the Lone Ranger and Tonto!"

Batman looked at the portrait again in amazement, "I didn't know any portraits or pictures of them existed!"

The Green Hornet closed his eyes for a moment in order to control his temper; finally he opened them and gave Batman a furious look, "Tonto had a few photographs taken when he was an old man, but he was always surrounded by what was left of his family," he gestured to the portrait, "This is the only known picture of them together…in fact…it's the only known…picture or portrait…of the Lone Ranger that is known to exist!"

After he said those words, silence reigned over them as they studied the rare portrait, finally Batman dared to ask, "What are these two heroes mean to you, Hornet? From you're words, it sounds as if it's rather personal."

The Green Hornet wearily sighed as he closed his eyes once again, 'Oh, it is personal…Batman,' he thought to himself, 'How would you feel if you can't gaze or even own the one picture of your ancestor due to fears of historians and treasure seekers hounding you for the rest of your life; or worse yet…one of his enemies surviving long enough to have children…children that would pass the hatred of the Lone Ranger onto their children and their children?! That is what happened to Tonto's family in the twenties; only four, the youngest of the children, was able to survive that particular massacre! Today, their descendents don't even know their own heritage due to the fact my grandfather and those two cunning foxes of that time had to take some drastic measures in order to hide them!'

"Hornet, are you all right?" asked Batman with a mixture of concern and inquisitiveness.

"Yes, just thinking about the past," he wearily replied as he opened his eyes and stared longing at the portrait, "C'mon, let's get out of here before I am tempted to steal it."

As they quietly walked out to the museum, Batman stared at his foe in concern, finally he grudgingly offered, "If you want a copy of the last two portraits…"

"No," he answered sharply as they came to the door, and then more softly with a mischievous smirk, "besides it would ruin my reputation if someone finds out I own a pair of portraits of masked heroes."

Batman let out a deep, weary sigh and said with annoyance, "Try to do a favor for a masked outlaw..." he shook his head and pointed the Black Beauty, "Just get out of town, Hornet! I'll make certain that the museum is locked up!"

The Green Hornet smirked as he tip his hat, and walked toward his car; he shouted out with sarcasm, "Hi-ho, Black Beauty…Hi-ho, Black Beauty away!"

Batman sighed again, as he rubbed his forehead in aggravation, "The man must be slightly drunk, it's a good thing he's not driving!"

* * *

_A few moments later…after leaving Gotham City limits…_

* * *

"What was that about?" asked Kato as he drove them back home.

"What was what about?" asked the Green Hornet as he looked out the window and played with the antique amulet that hung around his neck.

"What you said to Batman when you left him, the…"

"Hi-ho, Black Beauty?" asked the Hornet as he turned his full attention to Kato.

"Yes," he answered as he glanced at him in the rearview mirror.

He's boss let out a small laugh as he tucked the amulet back underneath his shirt, "My ancestor used to say, 'Hi-ho, Silver,' whenever he left a town or an innocent that he helped saved. I wanted to use that phrase, or something similar to it for a long time now…however, I was unable to do it as Britt Reid due the fact that the family secret had to stay a secret. But, as the Green Hornet…"

"Someone would think you were starting to get drunk," finished Kato as he gave his boss a brilliant grin, "but only if it was the perfect person and at the perfect time."

"And going out of the museum with Batman matched the conditions to a 'T', chuckled out the Green Hornet. They were silent for a moment, and then the Green Hornet admitted softly, "I really enjoyed the exhibit Kato, and regardless of the mask painted on his face…I could see a little bit of myself in my great-great Uncle John."

"Despite the unexpected company?" he asked in amusement.

"Despite the unexpected company!" exclaimed his boss with a laugh, "Did you know that they had a charcoal drawing…"

* * *

As the Green Hornet described the portraits he had seen in the exhibit; two lone riders were watching the Black Beauty make it way home. The masked man turned to his companion, "I think they will be all right until they get home, Tonto."

Tonto grunted in agreement, "Until the next time, Kimosaba. Of all of you're nephews, he is the one that takes the most after you."

The Lone Ranger wearily sighed, "Tell me something, I don't know! The Good Lord certainly proved to me that he has a unique sense of humor when Britt was born!"

They were silent for a moment watching the Black Beauty disappear into the distance, finally Tonto asked, "Shall we go home, or follow them?"

He's companion thought for a moment, finally he replied, "Let's go home, I could use a bit of a rest in watching the youngsters; and besides, a couple of the foxes offered to take over for us if we needed a bit of a break in keeping him as well as Kato from joining us too soon."

"Sounds good," he said eagerly, "I'll race you to the gate, Kimosaba!"

As Tonto urged his horse forward toward the sky, the Lone Ranger took one last look at the direction that the Black Beauty took and whispered softly, "Stay on safe trails Britt, until I can come back and keep an eye on you." He turned his attention toward the sky, and called out as he raced away, "Hi-ho, Silver! Hi-ho, Silver, away!"


End file.
